Monday status conference: Supreme summer orders

As Congress continues its recess, the U.S. Supreme Court could issue orders this morning on pending cases, petitions for rehearing, or other matters. We’ll keep you posted on anything newsworthy. Meanwhile, as you kick of your week and check the Olympic medal standings (the USA is in second, right behind China), here is the legal news inside the Beltway:

Stay out of the kitchen? Granite countertops are coming under fire after a flurry of complaints to the Environmental Protection Agency claiming they can decay over time and emit radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. (Lawyers USA).

High stakes bias suit: Legal watchers are paying close attention to a transgender job bias suit against the Library of Congress, which moves to trial Tuesday in a Washington, D.C. federal court, because of the potentially major implications it could pose for federal anti-discrimination policy. (NLJ)

BPA ok, says FDA: The FDA said the trace amounts of bisphenol A that leach out of food containers like baby bottles and sippy cups are not a threat to infants or adults. (AP)

Doctors back right to sue: A group of influential doctors – current and former editors of the New England Journal of Medicine – have filed an amicus brief backing the plaintiffs in the closely-watched Supreme Court case Wyeth v. Levine. The doctors say plaintiffs suits serve as an important check to protect patients. (WSJ Health Blog)

Workers keep it civil: Just because Attorney General Michael Mukasey said no charges would be filed in connection with politicized hiring practices at the DOJ, that is not stopping the civil suits. (LT)